1. Field of the Technology
The technology presented herein relates to a hand-held imaging apparatus and a program. More particularly, the present technology relates to a hand-held imaging apparatus with which a user can perform editing with respect to a taken image and a storage medium storing a program for achieving editing with respect to a taken image.
2. Description of the Background Art
Conventionally, there exists a hand-held information-processing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2007-195830). The information-processing apparatus is a foldable apparatus including two housings which are foldably connected to each other. Further, the information-processing apparatus includes a display screen in an inner surface of each housing (which is a surface located inside when the information-processing apparatus is folded) (a total of two display screens). On the assumption that a user uses the information-processing apparatus while holding the lower housing, an operation button is provided on the lower housing of the information-processing apparatus.
Further, as a hand-held information-processing apparatus with a photographing function, for example, there exists a mobile phone disclosed in Patent Document 2 (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006-311224). Similarly to the information-processing apparatus disclosed in the Patent Document 1, the mobile phone is a foldable apparatus including two housings and two display screens which are provided in inner surfaces of the two housings, respectively. In the mobile phone, two cameras as imaging means are provided in an outer surface and the inner surface of the upper housing, respectively.
As other examples for an imaging apparatus, there exists apparatuses disclosed in Patent Documents 3 to 7 (the Patent Document 3: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 04-156791, the Patent Document 4: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 06-276478, the Patent Document 5: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 01-297986, the Patent Document 6: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-125176, and the Patent Document 7: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-320091). These apparatuses each are an imaging apparatus including an input device which allows an input to be performed for designating a position on a screen, such as a touch panel, a mouse, and the like.
Further, conventionally, there exists an imaging apparatus which takes an image with a camera and displays the taken image, and the like on a display device. For example, the above Patent Document 2 discloses a foldable mobile phone with a photographing function as an imaging apparatus. The imaging apparatus includes two vertically long housings which are foldably connected to each other at short sides thereof, and a display screen is provided in each housing. In addition, a touch panel is provided on each display screen. The above imaging apparatus allows the display screen to be provided substantially across an entirety of a surface of each housing by using the touch panel as an input device. Thus, while the mobile phone is reduced in size, an area for displaying information is made large.
Further, the Patent Document 8 (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-142564) discloses an information apparatus having a camera. The information apparatus includes a body unit and a display unit which are pivotably connected to each other by a hinge block. In the information apparatus, the camera is disposed in the hinge block.
Further, conventionally, there exists an imaging apparatus which is a foldable hand-held apparatus, such as a mobile phone, and the like, which is provided with a camera to have an imaging function. For example, Patent Document 9 (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-333149) discloses a foldable mobile phone having a camera. The mobile phone includes two foldable housings, and the camera is provided in an outer surface of an upper first housing (which is a surface located on the outside of the mobile phone when the mobile phone is folded). As a shutter button for performing a photographing instruction (an instruction to store data of an image taken by the camera), a first shutter button is provided on an inner surface of a lower second housing (which is a surface located on the inside of the mobile phone when the mobile phone is folded), and a second shutter button is provided on the outer surface of the first housing. When photographing is performed while the mobile phone is opened, a user performs a photographing instruction using the first shutter button.
Meanwhile, conventionally, there exists a hand-held apparatus, such as a mobile phone having a camera, and the like, which includes an imaging function and a voice input function, and it is possible to take an image as well as to perform voice input (including recording) with the hand-held apparatus. Further, when a user performs imaging and voice input, it is preferable to display various information such as an image being taken, and the like, to the user, and it is preferable that a screen of a display device be located such that the user can view the screen during operation.
For example, the Patent Documents 2 and 10-13 (the Patent Document 10: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-274304, the Patent Document 11: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2005-184060, the Patent Document 12: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2007-201727, the Patent Document 13: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 09-247634) each disclose an information-processing apparatus having a camera and a microphone. Hand-held apparatuses disclosed in the Patent Documents 10-12 each include, in addition to a camera and a microphone, two screens which are provided in two surfaces of a housing, respectively. More specifically, the hand-held apparatuses disclosed in the Patent Documents 10-12 each are a foldable apparatus including two housings which are foldably connected to each other, and two screens are provided in an inner surface and an outer surface of one of the housings, respectively. It is noted that the inner surface is a surface located inside when the apparatus is folded, and the outer surface is a surface opposite to the inner surface (a surface located outside when the apparatus is folded). As described above, by providing the screens on both of the inner surface and the outer surface, a user can view either screen either in a state where the hand-held apparatus is opened or in a state where the hand-held apparatus is closed, and the user can perform imaging using the hand-held apparatus in either state.
Further, phones disclosed in the Patent Documents 2 and 13 each include two screens which are located on the same side as a camera and a microphone. In other words, the phones disclosed in the Patent Documents 2 and 13 each are a foldable apparatus including two housings. The camera is provided in an inner surface of one of the housings, and the microphone is provided in an inner surface of the other housing. In addition, the two screens are provided in the inner surfaces of the two housings, respectively. According to this configuration, a user can concurrently view the two screens when using the phone with the two housings being opened.
(Problem 1) Problem regarding the above Patent Documents 1 to 7
The information-processing apparatus disclosed in the Patent Document 1 does not have a camera.
In the mobile phone disclosed in the Patent Document 2, an image being taken by the camera (a live image; an image which is a taken image which is outputted from the camera and displayed as a moving image in real-time) is displayed on a display screen which is provided in a housing to which the camera is mounted. This is because since a photographing direction of the camera is opposite to a direction in which the live image is displayed, the live image is displayed such that a user can view the live image in the same direction as a direction of viewing a real view, and thus it is easy for the user to recognize where the user is photographing in the real view. However, in the mobile phone disclosed in the Patent Document 2, it is impossible to perform an editing operation with respect to the live image.
Here, the editing operation with respect to the live image is an operation for making a change to the live image, such as superimposing on the live image an image which is prepared in advance and referred to as a stamp image or a seal image and an image which is handwritten by a user, and the like. As an apparatus which allows such an editing operation to be performed, there exit apparatuses disclosed in the Patent Documents 3 to 7.
For example, in the imaging apparatus disclosed in the Patent Document 3, it is possible to perform an input with respect to a still image or a live image using a touch panel. However, in the imaging apparatus, since a screen for displaying a live image is located on a back side of a camera lens (see FIG. 1 of the Patent Document 3), it is difficult to place the imaging apparatus with the touch panel facing upward, and a user cannot stably perform an editing operation (a touch input operation) with respect to the touch panel.
Further, in an audio and video recording/displaying apparatus disclosed in the Patent Document 4, a mouse is used as an input device for adding a handwritten image to a live image which is displayed on a display section. Thus, it is impossible to perform an intuitive editing operation of directly touching a live image. In addition, since a photographing direction of a camera cannot be changed to an up-down direction when the audio and video recording/displaying apparatus is placed, a degree of freedom of photographing is limited when the audio and video recording/displaying apparatus is placed.
Further, according to an apparatus disclosed in the Patent Document 5, it is possible to superimpose an image created by a user using a digitizer on a taken image. However, in the above apparatus, the user merely creates in advance an image using the digitizer and superimposes the created image on a taken image, and the user cannot perform an editing operation with respect to alive image. In addition, the digitizer is provided independently of a camera (see FIG. 1 of the Patent Document 5) or integral with the camera (see FIGS. 5 and 6 of the Patent Document 5). Thus, when the digitizer is provided independently of the camera, the apparatus is suitable to be used in a placed state. However, for the apparatus to be held and used, two devices (the camera and the digitizer) have to be held, and thus the apparatus is extremely hard to operate. When the digitizer is integral with the camera, since a display screen is located upward with respect to a surface on which the apparatus is placed similarly to the Patent Document 3 and the Patent Document 4, an operation with respect to the digitizer is hard to perform.
Apparatuses disclosed in the Patent Document 6 and the Patent Document 7 are stationary apparatuses, and both a usage manner when holding the apparatus and a usage manner when placing the apparatus are not taken into consideration.
(Problem 2) Problem regarding the Patent Documents 2 and 8
In the imaging apparatus disclosed in the Patent Document 2, the vertically long housings are arranged lengthwise and connected to each other. Thus, a width of the imaging apparatus is too small for a user to firmly hold the imaging apparatus with both hands. Further, since the display screen is provided across the entirety of the surface of each housing, when the user holds the imaging apparatus either lengthwise or sideways, fingers are located on the screen, thereby deteriorating visibility of the screen and operability of the touch panel. On the other hand, when the user holds the imaging apparatus such that the fingers are not located on the screens, the user has to hold the imaging apparatus at back surfaces and side surfaces of the housings, and hence cannot firmly hold the imaging apparatus. Further, since the information apparatus disclosed in the Patent Document 7 is a notebook computer, it is assumed that the notebook computer is used in a placed state when taking an image, and the notebook computer cannot be held with hands and used when taking an image.
As described above, the imaging apparatuses disclosed in the Patent Documents 2 and 8 cannot be firmly held by the user while maintaining visibility of the screen and operability of the touch panel when taking an image. Thus, there is a problem that there is a high probability that hand movement occurs when taking an image. Further, since the imaging apparatus cannot be firmly held when taking an image, it is hard to perform an operation when taking an image.
(Problem 3) Problem regarding the Patent Document 9
In the mobile phone disclosed in the Patent Document 9, when a user performs photographing, an operation manner in which the user presses the shutter button with a thumb while holding the lower second housing with one hand is assumed. In other words, the user presses the first shutter button with the thumb while contacting the inner surface of the second housing with a thumb and an outer surface of the second housing with the other fingers (so as to sandwich the second housing between the thumb and the other fingers). In such an operation manner, since the thumb has to be separated from the second housing when pressing the first shutter button, the second housing cannot be firmly held. Thus, it is hard to press the first shutter button, and there is a fear that hand movement occurs when the first shutter button is pressed. As described above, the conventional foldable imaging apparatus has a problem that it is hard to perform a photographing operation of pressing the shutter button.
(Problem 4) Problem regarding the above Patent Documents 2 and 10-13
As in the hand-held apparatuses disclosed in the Patent Documents 10 to 12, in the configuration in which a screen is provided in each of the inner surface and the outer surface of the housing, the user can look at only one screen at one time. Thus, an amount of information which can be displayed to the user at one time is reduced. As a result, there is a fear that the user cannot obtain (view) sufficient information when performing imaging and voice input.
Meanwhile, in the telephones of the above Patent Documents 2 and 13, a user can look at the two screens at one time. Thus, an amount of information which can be displayed to the user at one time becomes large. However, since the positions of the camera and the microphone are inappropriate in the telephones of the above Patent Documents 2 and 13, there is a problem that it is hard to perform imaging and voice input due to the following reason.
In the telephones of the above Patent Documents 2 and 13, the camera and the microphone are provided in the different housings, and located at ends of the telephone, respectively. More specifically, the camera is located at an end of one of the housings, and the microphone is located at an end of the other housing. Thus, in the case where a folded angle is not 180 degrees, an imaging direction of the camera and a direction in which the microphone collects voice are directed in different directions. Further, at this time, the direction in which the microphone collects voice and a direction in which a “screen of a housing provided with the camera” faces are directed in different directions. It is meaningful that a foldable apparatus is, for example, put on a desk and used with a folded angle thereof being set to a desired angle. At this time, the apparatus is easy to operate when setting is made such that a screen of an upper housing faces the user. However, in the telephones of the above Patent Documents 2 and 13, in such a situation, the direction in which the microphone collects voice and a direction of a mouth of the user are different from each other.
Further, in the telephones of the above Patent Documents 2 and 13, the camera is provided at the end of the housing, the two screens exist in the lower side of the camera. Thus, in order for the user to look at information displayed on each screen from a state where the user looks at the camera, the user need to shift his or her view line downwardly, and particularly, a shift amount of user's view line is larger when looking at information on a lower screen. Further, in order for the user to equally look at the two screens, it is preferable to shift user's view line with reference to a center between the two screens. However, in the telephones of the above Patent Documents 2 and 13, such a view line and the imaging direction of the camera are different from each other.